Editorial Dragon Age: RPGwatch's most promising RPG of 2008

[DarkUnderlord]

Tags: Dragon Age

RPGwatch have <a href="http://www.rpgwatch.com/show/article?articleid=107">released the final vote on most promising RPG</a>. The result:
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<blockquote>It's exciting to see a diverse range of styles in the top selections – and the most promising RPG as selected by our readers is Dragon Age: Origins.
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It's been a long time since BioWare released a game with the PC as the lead platform – 2002, in fact. There's no doubting their success since then but many fans hold Baldur's Gate II as their best game, so the idea that Dragon Age represents a spiritual successor is powerful. Free from the shackles of D&D, BioWare promises their darkest and most mature game to date and features like the origin stories are welcome. The video footage looks inspiring but, really, it's the sense of BioWare returning to their roots that is igniting the fanbase.
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Voting results:
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<ol><li>Dragon Age: Origins (19.4%)
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<li>Age of Decadence (19.0%)
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<li>Diablo 3 (9.1%)
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<li>Divinity 2 - Ego Draconis (5.0%)
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<li>Alpha Protocol (4.4%)
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<li>Drakensang: The Dark Eye (3.7%)
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<li>Risen (3.8%)
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<li>Eschalon: Book II (2.1%)
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<li>Ultima 6 Project - The False Prophet (1.5%)</ol></blockquote>
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Age of Decadence: More highly anticipated than Diablo 3. RPGwatch's editor's choice was for Divinity 2.

 

[Rohit_N]

Age of Decadence: More highly anticipated than Diablo 3.

Good.

 

[Volourn]

Proves nothing. L0L Internet geekz.

 

[Andhaira]

I wont lie: I am awaiting Dragon Age with baited breath. I have been awaiting it since it was first announced (PRIOR TO NWN being launched I might add!!!)

The grittiness sounds very promising, though the one thing worrying me is that after being on the backburner for so long they might have stripped some of the moreinnvative features in order to make it more 'mainstream'. (el;ves and dwarves sell more)

 

[Xor]

Well at least AoD came close.

 

[kris]

Proves nothing. L0L Internet geekz.

It proves something alright. While we all are sure to know that Diablo3 will outsell them all and be a very polished game.

 

[Volourn]

"I have been awaiting it since it was first announced (PRIOR TO NWN being launched I might add!!!)"

hUH?

 

[DaveO]

Somebody obviously forgot Diablo 2's patch history to have an expectation that Diablo 3 will be 'very polished'.

 

[doctor_kaz]

My most anticipated used to be Dragon Age, but now it's Risen. Gothic 3 was a disappointment, but at least Pirhanna Bytes has acknowledged that and they are going to make Risen another Gothic.

 

[Andhaira]

Volly: Dragon Age was announced in 2003 (or was that late 2002?), months before NWN was released. (NWN was released in 2003)

 

[WhiskeyWolf]

Proves nothing. L0L Internet geekz.

After that stunt with FO3, RPGwatch lost all credibility.

 

[Worm King]

My most anticipated used to be Dragon Age, but now it's Risen. Gothic 3 was a disappointment, but at least Pirhanna Bytes has acknowledged that and they are going to make Risen another Gothic.

Gothic isn't that great. Though great combat but one, if not the, lamest character systems I've seen. Both of the settings were incredibly bland and uninspired with no notable characters. The questing and such was nice though but the level of writing and design needs improvement.

 

[fastpunk]

Volly: Dragon Age was announced in 2003 (or was that late 2002?), months before NWN was released. (NWN was released in 2003)

DA was announced at E3 in 2004 as far as I remember, while NWN was released in June, 2002. So what the fuck are you talking about?

After that stunt with FO3, RPGwatch lost all credibility.

What stunt?


Anyway, Alpha Protocol, NWN2 XP3 and Dragon Age for me, please!

 

[Volourn]

So, which of you bozos are correct? One claims I'm mistaken the other claims I'm correct... It can't be both.

 

[Saxon1974]

I just can't get that excited for Dragon Age, it just looks so much like an average next gen epic graphics and bloom type of game.

Give me old school please, bring on Eschalon and AOD please!

 

[kris]

Somebody obviously forgot Diablo 2's patch history to have an expectation that Diablo 3 will be 'very polished'.

Their patch history say much more about their dedication to perfect their games than the quality of the initial release. Fact is that the blizzard games at release have been the most bug free and balanced in the business. Now that they send out dozens of patches with usually very few or minor changes doesn't change that fact. They could as well not send out any patches and complaints about the need for them would be very minor compared to other PC game releases.

I can't remember I ever had a blizzard game crash on me.

 

[WhiskeyWolf]

What stunt?

http://www.rpgcodex.net/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=28924

 

[Disconnected]

I voted AoD. If it can deliver, and not fuck up the combat utterly, I'm confident it'll be the GOTY '09 for me. Unless someone releases I-War3 or something, but I really doubt that'll happen.

Not that I'm not looking forward to Eschalon 2, but it won't offer the intricate C&C that AoD hopefully does.

Dragon Age.. Well.. I'd love to feel optimistic about that one. BG managed to be a sort of deliberate person's aRPG, and despite the horrible RTwP system, what really made those games shine was the set piece combats. And it's just damn hard to convince myself that BugOware would've spend the last decade producing nothing but utter shit fights, if they still knew how to do it right.

 

[Andhaira]

fastpunk is right, my mistake. NWN was released in the summer of 2002. (I remember a dude playing it in summer while chugging down a bucket of gatorade.)

But I am pretty sure DA was announced in 2003.

 

[Blind Eye]

DA was announced in may of 2004, according to Gamespot.

 

[Vault Dweller]

http://www.rpgcodex.net/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=4241

May 2004.

 

[Blind Eye]

Is there an echo in here?

 

[DarkUnderlord]

Is there an echo in here?

 

[LittleJoe]

No...no...no...no...

 

[Andhaira]

Eschalon I and II will come out before AoD, even though they began production AFTER AoD was started. That alone speaks volumes about the quality and dedication of basilisk games.